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Furniture Finishing

Outdoor Furniture


OUTDOOR furniture comprises principally porch chairs, settees, swings and tables, also lawn chairs, benches and swings, and camp furniture. The finish, of course, depends on the construction, wood or metal, and whether the former is to be natural or painted. Durability, it goes without saying, is the prime requisite with all.

WOOD

Natural.—Where oak, birch or maple are to be given a natural finish, the procedure is to apply one or two coats of good waterproof coach varnish, similar to that used on refrigerators, but not quite so high in quality. In the case of oak, the wood is first filled on better grades with a paste wood filler of the shade known as natural, which is colorless. Birch and maple require no paste filler, but are frequently given a coat of clear varnish firstcoater. Filler, firstcoater and varnish are customarily dipped and tipped off with a brush except where the shape of the object precludes free draining, in which case they are sprayed. Backs, sides and seats of porch swings are dipped separately and then assembled when finished and dry.

Stain.—On some types of outdoor furniture, particularly for the porch, the wood is first stained prior to filling or firstcoating. Except forest green, which requires a water stain, oil stain is satisfactory and shows up clear in tone on the hardwoods mentioned. Antique and fumed oak are the favorite colors, applied by dipping and sealed with shellac instead of a varnish firstcoater. For a mission effect omit filler from oak and finish with flat varnish over firstcoater. The forest green water stain is ordinarily applied to maple which is so hard in texture that the grain is raised but little, requiring practically no sanding.

Enamel.—Outdoor porch furniture is usually painted a solid color, vermillion red or medium chrome green. The wood is birch or Oregon pine, the first coat flat paint primer tinted red or green, the finish coat high-gloss tough enamel or color varnish, specially constructed to resist water and wear. For a higher grade job one or two coats of flat paint primer are followed by stripinsr, protected with a coat of clear waterproof coach varnish. All outdoor furniture varnishes are left in the natural gloss with little or no sanding on the first coat since an absolutely smooth job is not essential.

Outdoor lawn furniture is usually built of cypress and finished in white in two grades as follows: (1) Two thin coats white lead and oil, thinned with plenty of turpentine, followed by one or two coats lead and zinc outside white house paint, the first thin, all coats brushed and without sanding between coats; (2) two thin coats finely ground paint undercoater, to the first of which is added a proportion of benzole to increase penetration, a third of the same slightly heavier, all sanded smooth, followed by one or two coats first grade long-oil gloss enamel.